Referee Carl Cheffers Explains Controversial Super Bowl Penalty on Eagles' Bradberry

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, but not without a little controversy.

Sunday's game was essentially ended by a controversial penalty call on Eagles cornerback James Bradberry, much to the ire of Philadelphia fans.

With the game tied at 35 late in the fourth quarter, Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs on a drive to Philadelphia's 15-yard line with 1:54 remaining on the clock. On a 3rd-and-8, the star quarterback targeted JuJu Smith-Schuster in the left corner of the end zone, but the ball was overthrown.

Even so, a flag was thrown and Bradberry was called for holding on Smith-Schuster, which gave the Chiefs a first down. Kansas City went on to run down the clock before Harrison Butker kicked the game-winning field goal.

After the game, referee Carl Cheffers explained the controversial call, telling reporters that it was "a clear case of a jersey grab that caused restriction."

"The receiver went to the inside and he was attempting to release to the outside," Cheffers said. "The defender grabbed the jersey with his right hand and restricted him from releasing to the outside. So, therefore, we called defensive holding."

Had the penalty not been called, the Chiefs likely would have kicked a field goal and the Eagles would have gotten the ball back with a chance to tie or win the game in the final moments.

However, Bradberry told reporters after the game that he believes the officials made the right call.

"I pulled on his jersey," Bradberry said. "They called it. I was hoping they would let it ride."

Smith-Schuster concurred, saying that he "100 percent" felt like he was held by Bradberry on the play.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni also did not blame the referees for making the holding call on Bradberry while meeting with reporters following Sunday's loss, ultimately blaming it on a number of factors.

"It's not my job to make the call. ... There's so many plays that contribute to the end result of the game and today they were better than we were," Sirianni said.

Sirianni has a point, too.

The Eagles entered halftime with a 24-14 lead over the Chiefs before a second half collapse that saw Kansas City score on each of their four possessions.

Philadelphia's defense allowed 24 points after halftime, and even the special teams unit struggled as it allowed a Kadarius Toney 65-yard punt return that set up Skyy Moore for a go-ahead touchdown.

Despite the loss, the Eagles have a lot to look forward to in the future following the emergence of young quarterback Jalen Hurts, who saw massive strides in his development in 2022.

This is only the beginning for Philadelphia.